Mustard Plug Yellow #5 (2002) Hopeless

In the spring of 1998 I embarked on one of the most boring moments of my life. Armed with a stick of deodorant, extra clothing, a toothbrush, and a walkman, I sat in the back of a smoke filled Oldsmobile with my girlfriend and her family as we drove to the other side of Ontario for a broomball tournament. It was long and boring, and the Big Shiny Tunes tape I had was getting more annoying every minute that I listened to it. The day before I left, my brother had made me a tape of one of his own cds. I decided to give that a try instead. It was from a band called Mustard Plug, and crudely printed on the recordable tape were the words “Evildoers Beware”. My brother had saved me from bad music. I listened to that tape for hours, until both pairs of batteries burnt out. Even as Dave Kichgessner’s vocals became slow and slurred from the dying batteries, I still listened. A love for ska was born.

The music on that tape hasn’t changed much from the music they still make today. It’s still hard, catchy, and upbeat. If you listen to Yellow #5 in search of complexity, you’re going to find energy instead. That’s what Mustard Plug majors in, and that’s why they’re my favourite live band out there.

As the name suggests, Yellow #5 is the fifth studio release from Mustard Plug. I like to think of it as somewhat of a sequel to Evildoers Beware, the cd that got the band recognition in ska and punk scenes all over the world. Songs like “Not Enough” and “No One But Myself” would have fit on that cd perfectly. Other songs take on a different path from the usual ska-punk tunes Mustard Plug makes. “Get It Goin’ On” is a fast rock song and “Already Gone” shows a bit of a soft spot that’s not very common on the band’s other songs. For the most part though, Mustard Plug sticks to their usual sound, which is probably the way most of the band’s fans would have it. On this cd the trumpet and trombone go great with each other, and Dave and Colin’s vocals have never sounded better. I thought the songs that stuck out most were “Not Enough”, “You Want It, We Got It”, “No One But Myself”, and my own favourite “Just A Minute”. These songs are catchy, and there’s a good chance that they’ll get stuck in your head after listening to them.

My only beef with the cd was that the recording and mixing quality didn’t seem to be up there with the previous two Mustard Plug releases. After listening to the Hopelessly Devoted to You 4 version of “Not Enough” and comparing it with the version on Yellow #5, I actually liked the Hopeless sampler version better. It wasn’t so bad as to take away the enjoyment from the cd though. Like I said before, this one is right up there with Evildoers.

If you’re a fan of punk or ska, or you just like catchy, upbeat music, than you should check out this cd. It’s by far Mustard Plug’s most underrated work. This band has been rocking out for over a decade now so they know how please. As they say in “You Want It, We Got It” the price is right, the product’s guaranteed.

(GregSka)